TALES OF REDWALL: LORD BROCKTREE, EPISODE III: THE RABBIT & THE RABBLE
by RedwallFan42
Summary: Meanwhile, in Salamandastron, trouble comes for Brocktree's father, Lord Stonepaw. Years of peace have left the mountain stronghold with few fighters, and those that remain are long past their prime, including Stonepaw himself. The wildcat Ungatt Trunn, son of Mortspear, Highland King of the North, lays siege to the fortress with his Blue Hordes. Eventually the mountain is overrun.


p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FADE IN:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE I – ROGG LONGLADLE's DWELLING – NIGHT/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI Vows to herself: that she could not touch another morsel that night. Then she relents and set about nibbling candied lilac buds from the edges of an almond cake. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE is a master of victuals, unequaled at baking, boiling, grilling or cooking any edible his moles could find. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI watches LORD BROCKTREE digging into a huge bowl with a wooden ladle, his cheeks bulging as he ate. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well, pickle me ears, sah, y'look pleased enough with that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Grinning wolfishly over another ladleful) Scrumptious, miss. The moles call it deeper'n ever turnip'n'tater'n'beetroot pie. I could eat it all night!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK takes his nose out of a foaming tankard still half filled with chestnut and buttercup beer, and chortled as he blew froth from his upper lip. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Haharr, ain't it true, though? I'd 'ave never left 'ome if'n I'd got vittles o' this quality. Rogg, ye ole ovendog, give us another o' yore kitchen ditties!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE brandishes his oversized ladle and smiles from ear to ear, the good mole beckons the little Dibbuns to take their dancing places. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Brisk as bumblebees and plump as robins, the tiny molebabes formed two facing lines. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI marvels that they could eat so much and still be eager to dance. The infant molemaids grabbed their pinafores and curtsied comically as their partners licked paws and dabbed them on their snouts in reply. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BURBEE, ROGG LONGLADLE's wife scrapes out the opening bars on an old fiddle and all the watchers start tapping their paws in time. The little ones dance furiously, twirling and whirling, smocks, tunics and aprons billowing. It's the funniest sight—all the tiny Dibbuns, bowing, leaping, touching noses, kicking up their paws, whooping in their gruff, small voices./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE's rotund body bobs up and down with the rhythm./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE (V.O.)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Singing in a tuneful bass voice) br / Ho berries'n'pickles an' corjul wot tickles, br / Gudd apples'n'pears from ee h'orchard do cumm, br / Gurt taters'n'beets an' ee redcurrinks sweet, br / Get ee owt o' thy tunnel an' go fetch oi summ! br / Urr rowtle dee tootle dee, spring be a-born, br / Ee fields be all full o' roip barley'n'corn! br / Ho turnips'n'dannyloin, damsing an' plumm, br / Yon loaf's in ee uvven an' crispin' oop noice, Carrots'n'onions an' chesknutters cumm, br / Get owt'n ee tunnel, oi woan't tell ee twoice! br / Urr gollybee gullybee wudd for ee foire, br / Oi luvvs ee moi dearie, moi ole 'eart's desoire! br / Ho radish'n'celery, custidd'n'cake, br / An' ee sweetest of hunny from bumbledy bee, br / Thurr's beer in ee cellar, cumm naow moi owd feller, You'm fill up'n thoi tummy wi' wot pleasures ee! br / Urr trucklebee rucklebee larks oop abuvv, br / Cumm darnce ee moi petal an' 'old moi paw luvv!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Amid the applause ROGG LONGLADLE skips swiftly to one side. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE sits down next to DOTTI, and rattles his digging claws on the tabletop as he watched the antics of the molebabes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They'm loively likkle darncers sure 'nuff, miz!" "Ho aye, zurr Rogg, them'll sleep loik 'ogs in ee beds arter all ee whurlygiggin'./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE clasps DOTTI's paw, immensely pleased that she spoke his own odd dialect. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You'm a gudd hurrbeast, miz Dott!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"In truth the Dibbuns sleep well, though they snore uproariously, which moles consider a virtue among their babes, reckoning that snoring improves the gruffness and depth of voice. DOTTI finds herself a nice moss-strewn arbor close to the ledge where RUFFGAR BROOKBACK and LORD BROCKTREE chose to lay their heads for the night. It must have been sometime before the dawn hours when the entire mole household was roused by LORD BROCKTREE./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"INT. ROGG LONGLADLE'S DWELLING – BEFORE DAWN (DREAM SEQUENCE) – LORD BROCKTREE'S POV/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BEGIN DREAM SEQUENCE./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"It's a nightmare, but clear as day: there is a swaying room, decked with cobwebs and spiders, and flies are buzzing everywhere. Then suddenly a great evil-looking wildcat appears. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(In a grating voice like a rusty blade) Come, show your face to me, come to my mountain and meet with your fate. I am Ungatt Trunn the Fearsome Beast; you will die by my paw the day you look upon my face!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE springs up. Seizing his battle blade, confidently takes a fighting stance, the light of battle is in his eyes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(In a thunderous voice) It is my mountain! I am the Lord Brocktree of Brockhall! My sword will look into your mind and touch your heart on the day we meet, Ungatt Trunn! Eulaliiiiaaaaa!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"END DREAM SEQUENCE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"INT. ROGG LONGLADLE'S DWELLING - DAWN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI and RUFFGAR BROOKBACK leap up in shock. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI is knocked to one side as RUFFGAR BROOKBACK hurlS himself at her, shoving her out of danger in the nick of time./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE's great battle blade strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"whooshes/span/em/strong past them a hair's breadth away, cleaving a rock ledge in two and plowing a furrow in the floor like a small trench./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Back, mates! Get back, all of ye! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK is up and waving paws and rudder at moles scurrying about in their nightshirts, wanting to see what all the disturbance was about. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE acts swiftly. He takes a jug of cold mint tea from the banqueting table nearby, sloshes it accurately in LORD BROCKTREE's face. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE staggers back and slumps on the ledge. Freeing a paw from his sword handle, he wipes the liquid from his eyes. Then he looked at the creatures all about him in bewilderment./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(In bewilderment) The room, it was moving from side to side, spiders, webs, flies, everywhere…very—"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Without warning the double-hilted sword is in LORD BROCKTREE's paws again. He swings it up in a fighting stance, glaring at everybeast with dangerous eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Where's the wildcat? Did any of you see him? Tell me!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"With great courage, RUFFGAR BROOKBACK steps forward, placing himself in the path of the monstrous blade. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Put up yore weapon, mate. 'Twas only a dream. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"With a dazed look LORD BROCKTREE lowers the sword and sits down./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Dazed) I don't understand it, Ruff. He was here, his name is Ungatt Trunn, and he wanted to do battle with me. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE disperses the moles with a wave of his long ladle. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Goo on naow, back abed, all of ee. Leave us'n's be!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Turns back to LORD BROCKTREE) Wait ee, zurr. Bide yurr ee h'instant!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE trundles off, returning shortly with another mole, a full-grown male, very sturdy, with a look of Rogg about him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"This'n yurr be moi sunn Gurth. Ee'm a foine big 'un, bain't ee? Uz calls 'im Gurt Gurth. Ee'm a born wunderer an' fond o' travelern. Tell um wot ee see'd, Gurth!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH touches his snout politely to the guests. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Pleasured t'meet ee, zurrs, miz. Hurr naow, 'bowt three moons back oi wurr roamin', south an' west o' yurr. Oi waked wun morn an' see'd ee gurt h'army o' vurmints, all a-painted blue, trampin' west'ard to ee sandshores. Them wuz a-chantin', loik this. Ee chief vurmint, ee showts…Ungatt! An' t'others showt back three toims…Trunn! Trunn! Trunn! Oi watched 'til 'em varnished in ee distance, trampin' an' a-shouten all ee way. Ungatt!…Trunn! Trunn! Trunn! Jus' loik that, zurr! Bo urr, sez oi to moiself, thurr be a thing to tell ee molefolk back 'ome. But moi ole dad, ee sez t'keep soilent abowt et. So oi did 'til naow./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE immediately stands up again./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanI have to go. I have to fight the wildcat./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Grabs ROGG LONGLADLE'S ladle and forces LORD BROCKTREE back into his seat./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Jus' a flat bally minute sah! You can't be goin' off to fight this Ungatt thingamy all by yourself! You don't have an army with you. You'll be out numbered ten thousand to one!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Acknowledgingly) She's right mate, yer a brave beast, there's no doubt about that, but let's look at this logically. Ya'd only be going off to get yerself killed by this Ungatt character if it's as bad as Gurth says it is./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oi, woi don we'em get ee back to youm's rezzt zur. Then in mornin' we'm can get some brekkist least afore ye go!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Resolutely) Rogg's right m'lord. Let's at least wait until the mornin' before we set off to kill a wildcat and his cronies, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Sighs reluctantly) Oh, alright. I'm sorry if I frightened you my friends./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Don't ee worry 'bout it zur. You'm now get ee back to sleep'n./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE II – ROGG LONGLADLE'S DWELLING - MORNING/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Daylight has barely cracked when LORD BROCKTREE levers himself away from one of ROGG LONGLADLE's epic spreads and shoulders his sword. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Come on, you two, or are you going to sit there feeding your famine-stricken faces all day?"\/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI wipes her lips ruefully on an embroidered napkin. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I bally well wish we could, I've never tasted honeyed oatmeal like that in m'life. I say, Rogg, how the dickens d'you make it taste so jolly good, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE chuckles at Dotti's momentary lapse from molespeech. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hurr hurr, young miz, oi chops in lots o' chesknutters an' hazelnutters, too, cover ee lot wi' sprinkles o' candied h'apple'n'pear flakers an' bakes et slow in ee uvven./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK twitches his rudder in admiration of ROGG LONGLADLE's skill. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Haharr. I can't tell one nutter from another, but ole Rogg there makes it sound wunnerful!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE is handed four packs by a mole, he then dumps them on the table. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thurr be vittles for ee journey, guddbeasts./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE had noted the number of packs. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"There's four lots here and we're only three. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE twiddles his digging claws, as moles do when they are confronted with a tricky situation. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Urr urr, wudd ee grant oi a boon, zurr?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span(Translates) He wants a favor from you, sah./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE spreads his paws magnanimously. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I would be churlish if I refused, after such hospitality. Ask away, Rogg my friend!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE hems and hawes a bit before coming out with it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Cudd ee taken moi sunn Gurth along with ee? Oi'd be allus h'obliged. Ee'm gudd company, deadly with ee slinger an' stronger'n any mole aloive. Oi be gurtly wurried when ee goes off a-roamin' alone, zurr, but moi 'eart'd be easier if'n moi Gurth wurr with gennelbeasts like you 'uns./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE shakes Rogg's paw warmly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Gurth will be a welcome addition to our little band—and if his cooking is anything like yours, I beg you to let him come along with us!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH appears out of nowhere and sweeps up his ration pack. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oi been teached ee cookin' trick or two boi moi ole dad, zurr. Thankee koindly furr lettin' oi join ee!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE III - EXT. RIVER MOSS, MOSSFLOWER WOODS - DAY/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"At the river bend the four friends boarded their log and paddled off along the sun-flecked stream, with ROGG LONGLADLE and his family calling farewells./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDROBSEE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Goombye. 'Twere ee pleasure 'avin' ee t'visit!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Miz Dott, goombye. Pity ee wurr too fulled t'sing furr us'n's larst noight. Mebbe nex' toim!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Mutters under his breath to Lord Brocktree) They don't know 'ow lucky they were not to hear our Dotti warblin'./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH receives instructions from his kin./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanTWINDLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You'm keep a clean 'ankycheef with ee allus, Gurth!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thankee, oi'll amember that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanDROBSEE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Moind ee manners an' doan't scoff ee too much!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thankee, oi'll amember that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFURDLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Pay 'tenshun to wot gurt Badger Lord tells ee, Gurth!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thankee, oi'll amember that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSOILBUR/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Bringen a pressink back for ee ole mum! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thankee, oi'll amember that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanURTHCLAW/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Be guarden ee young hurrmaid well naow, sunn!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(In a gruff bass voice which echoes back fondly along the stream) Thankee, oi'll amember that! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The moles stand in the shallows, and wave until the log is out of sight. DROBEE wipes a kerchief about her eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDROBEE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Burrhoo, oi do 'opes ee'll be safe!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROGG LONGLADLE places a paw about her shoulders. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROGG LONGLADLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ee surpintly will, marm. Ee be a rock o' sense, that 'un!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE IV – EXT. ROCKWOOD – ALMOST TWILIGHT/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY is a short-eared owl. Unfortunately he has been born without the gift of flight, but this did not seem to worry him one little bit. He had made his birthplace, strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"THE ROCKWOOD/strong, and its surrounding moors his domain. Nothing moved or went on there that he did not know about. UDURA GROUNDSLAY is immensely wise and very fierce. He protects his territory jealously and makes his own rules for any creature venturing within its boundaries. These rules he enforces by his own natural ferocity. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT sits with the squirrels around a small fire. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY arrives. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING rises to greet him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thou art looking hale an' fine of feather, Groundslay./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY ruffles his brown and umber barred feathers, the big owl stared solemnly at the squirrels with huge golden eyes which shone in the reflected firelight. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Rukkudooh! What brings bushtails to my lands?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT turns quickly over and shut his eyes tight. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oh, right y'are, marm. Nighty night now! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. THE ROCKWOOD – DAWN, THE NEXT DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"As a new day dawns, FLEETSCUT, unable to sleep because of hunger pangs, leaps up. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Roaring) Aha! I think I see his sign, chaps. There 'tis!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT has never heard a creature speaking so slowly and deliberately. Moreover, the murderous curved beak of UDURA GROUNDSLAY scarcely moves when he speaks. JUKKA THE SLING politely lets a moment elapse before replying./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We have brought a longears with us. He seeks news of his kind, or any other beasts seen hereabouts./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY closes both eyes and twitches his ear feathers gently he appears to have gone to sleep, but then the big golden orbs opened again. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hurrukooh! Udara sees all, even in the moondark. Longears have passed through here, young ones, noisy and frivolous creatures. Spikedogs, also. I like not the spikedogs—they are rough, ill-mannered beasts./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT shook his head. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY kicks the packs lightly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hootooh! Then you wasted your time coming here, longears. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT had put up with enough. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Just a tick there, featherbag, I think you're the one needs a lesson in courtesy. It's no blinkin' wonder that other creatures avoid comin' here, wot, y'bad-mannered old swindler. I wouldn't give you the dust off me paws after the way you've treated me!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thud! /span/em/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING's pack landed with the other two. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"There, now thou hast three. Give the longears all your information, Udara. All! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hooking the three packs with his talons, UDURA GROUNDSLAY slings them up over his useless wings./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling as he stalks off) Be here at dawn light. I'll tell you all then. Koohumhum!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"When UDURA GROUNDSLAY has gone, FLEETSCUT slumps down angrily by the fire. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Great feathered buffoon, wot? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING squats in front of him /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Shaking her head knowingly) 'Tis ye who art the buffoon, hare. Hadst thou not given up thy pack so quick I could have bargained and got thine information for one pack. An' thee, Ruro, what were ye thinking of, adding thy pack to his so quickly? I only gave up my ration to Udara when the situation became hopeless. Udara was insulted by thee, longears. Hadst thou walked away with the pack, he'd have hunted an' killed thee. That bird is not named Udara Groundslay for nothing. Now put a latch on thy tongue an' get some sleep!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT – Feels foolish and chastised, and lays down. Before he closes his eyes, the old hare pats Ruro's shoulder. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You're a jolly good pal, Ruro. I won't forget the way you offered up your pack to get my information. Thanks!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO lays staring into the fire./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Jukka Sling was right, we be nought but two fools. Aye, an' we'll find that out soon enough, methinks, when we have to march on empty bellies. Good night to thee./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE V – EXT. ROCKWOOD - DAWN/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY returns in the dawn hour, when most of the squirrels are still sleeping, thanks to the previous day's marching. JUKKA THE SLING and FLEETSCUT hastily got a fire going and made mint and dandelion tea, sweetening it with lots of honey to suit UDURA GROUNDSLAY's taste. Sunlight was beginning to flood gold into the aquamarine skies of the eastern horizon before UDURA GROUNDSLAY deems it fit to begin his narrative, which he did with much deliberation./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Humrumrum! There is a certain longears, a hare, not of the mountain from which you come. They say he is a March hare, wild and perilous. I have not met him—I do not know. Many longears are gathering to him at a secret place. I have heard them whisper his name, King Bucko Bigbones!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span(Cutting in) King?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY's huge golden eyes blink reprovingly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I did not ask you to interrupt me. If you want to talk, then carry on, and I will hold my silence, longears!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING apologizes for FLEETSCUT hastily. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Forgive him. It is the manner of longears to be excited. I will vouch for his silence. Please, the floor is thine./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING shoots a warning glance at the old hare. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whoohum! One of the longears dropped a piece of bark scroll. Reading is not part of my wisdom and of no interest to me. That is all I have to say. You will be gone from my land before noontide. Here is the writing—you may keep it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UDURA GROUNDSLAY lifts his left wing slightly, with great effort, and allows a small folded scroll to drop near the fire. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT pounces upon it before it rolled into the flames./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Without a backward glance, UDURA GROUNDSLAY, ambles off to pursue his solitary existence./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Read thee aloud. I wouldst hear this longear's message!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING's arrogant words gets the better of FLEETSCUT's temper. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Now just a bloomin' moment, bushtail. Hah! I see y'don't like me callin' you that, do you? Well, I'm sick an' fed up o' bein' called longears, see! I'll call you Jukka, you call me Fleetscut, I'll call your blinkin' lot squirrels, an' you call my flippin' lot hares, wot, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span(Feigning indifference) As thou pleasest./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You can bet your jolly life I pleasest! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Then calm thee down an' read, lon— Fleetscut./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING's tribe are awake by this time. They gathered around to hear what was on the scroll as the old hare read aloud./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Reads aloud) br / Two points north of dawn, br / Find stone and shade and drink, br / Follow where no water runs, br / March on through two moons and suns,br / My sign you'll see, I think. br / Discover then a streamwolf's ford, br / Tug thrice upon the royal cord, br / Then my honor guard will bring, br / Loyal subjects to their king!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT's paw thwacks against the parchment./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Indignantly) Tchah, the very idea of it, a hare promotin' himself to king, the pollywoggle, an' doubtless lurin' our young Salamandastron warriors to his side. Who does he think he is, wot wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING can't help but smile at FLEETSCUT's indignation. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"For sure, he thinks he's king. Canst thou solve any of this riddle poem, hare?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Snorts) Of course I canst…squirrel! Us chaps from Salamandastron eat lots o' salad—good for the old brain, doncha know. We try not to scoff large amounts o' nuts—makes the tail bushy an' next thing y'know you want to go climbin' trees!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He pauses to note the look on JUKKA THE SLING's face/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ahem, now let me see. Ah yes, the place where stone an' shade an' drink can be found is right here. Hmm, the directions are clear enough, but two points north o' dawn, er, that's a bit of a poser, ain't it?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Providing the answer) Dawn is in the east where the sun rises; two points north of that is northeast. We must go northeast, methinks./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Sniffs) I knew that, just testin' you chaps. But what about a spot o' brekkers first? I've only had a drop of tea so far today. Chap can't go far on that, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO thrusts two hard green apples at him./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Remember, friend, thou hast no rations, nor have I or Jukka. Come now, we'll travel o'er the top of this Rockwood, and mayhap we'll find our way with a view from there./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. – ROCKWOOD'S PEAK - MIDMORNING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A wearying and difficult climb brings them to Rockwood's peak by midmorning. They sit down in the tree shade, breathing hard./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUDURA GROUNDSLAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling in a solemn hail from a hiding place) Kuwhoohuuuh! You are still on my land and the morn is half gone. Beware if you are still here at noon!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT tries to climb an old gnarled rowan to scout out the countryside. When UDURA GROUNDSLAY calls, FLEETSCUT slips and barks his shin. He bites his lip. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Shouting back) Yah! Go an' boil your beak, mattressbottom." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO helps him down to earth before bounding easily up into the branches. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT winces and rubs his shin./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Bide there, friend. After all, I've scoffed large amounts of nuts! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO returns down to report, almost as swiftly as she has gone up, and points northeast. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A dried-up streambed that way, going off into the distance./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT is up and about, feeling much better. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Just like the poem said: 'Follow where no water runs.' Solved that pretty smart, wot wot, Jukka?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING leads off the march./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Informing FLEETSCUT) I had already figured that much, O thou who art fleet of scut./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO takes up the rear, with her friend muttering by her side. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Huh, fleet o' scut, indeed! Can't even pronounce a bally chap's name right. How'd she like it if I called her Sling the Jukka? I say, that's a good idea, why don't we sling her?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They go single file, through a twisting, turning, long dried-out streambed, with FLEETSCUT plodding along in the rear, coughing and sniffling from the dust of others tramping ahead. He obviously has neither food nor drink, having bolted the two little sour apples the moment RURO gave them to him earlier on. First he tried sucking on a pebble to allay his thirst, but when moisture came to his mouth it formed a nasty paste with the dust he was inhaling. Next he begin grabbing at pawfuls of grass as he passes, but when he chomped on the first clump he give a muffled yelp and spits it out, glaring at the yellow-and-black banded body humming angrily amid the dust./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Confounded bloomin' wasp, loungin' about in the middle of a chap's tuck. Oh, it ain't fair! I'm starvin'!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO turns and tugs his paw to make him keep up. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Carry on trying to feed thyself and thou wilt be left behind. No time for stopping when we're on the march!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE VI – THE DRIED WATERCOURSE – LATE EVENING/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Late that evening Jukka called a halt. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Holds up her fist) (Calling) We'll halt here for the night./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT flops exhausted alongside RURO in the dry watercourse, gazing longingly at the other squirrels. Opening their packs, they sip from little flasks and eat sparingly of the honey-soaked, fruit-filled farls. His face is the very picture of misery and despair./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Begging) I say, chaps, how about sharin' supper with a pal, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ignoring FLEETSCUT, they carry on eating and drinking./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Trying a different approach) Aha, this is the life, mates—comrades together, wot! Marchin', sleepin', singin', firm friends on life's jolly old highway, wot. I say there, old pal, old chum, throw your messmate a cob of that stuff over, an' a drop t'drink, ye good old treewalloper!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The squirrel in question stowes his food away carefully, glaring hatred at FLEETSCUT. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanELM BARK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Give thy foolish gob a rest, longears. 'Tweren't for thee we'd be snug in our pine grove, instead of tramping about on some wild-goose chase because of thy bad-mouthing our leader. Put a gag on thy tongue— aye, an' eat that!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT slumps back and sulked a bit, and watches an ant crawl over his footpaw. He is about to reach for it and try his first taste of insect when a fresh idea struck him. Scooting over on his tail, he gets closer to JUKKA THE SLING. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING eyes him curiously../span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT winks, and smiles at her/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Whispering) Bet you're rather peckish, too, old gel, wot. Rotten bunch o' cads this lot, aren't they? Look at that bounder over yonder, stuffin' his face like a frog at a fry-up. Listen, you're the leader, ain't you? I've got a rippin' idea—now how does this sound t'you? Suppose you issue a stern order for one or two of 'em to give you half their rations. I mean, they daren't refuse Jukka the Sling, the old boss tailkicker, could they? Then we just divvy the grub between us, half for my clever wheeze, half for your position as chief. Heeheehee. Spiffin' scheme, ain't it, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The look JUKKA THE SLING gives him could split a solid rock./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT scoots hastily back, and visibly resigns to a night of hunger and thirst. He lay down, closed his eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Shouting) G'night, you grubgrabbin' foul perishin' mob o' skinflints. Hope the noise me tummy's makin' keeps you awake all bloomin' night. Hope you dream of me starvin' to death of hunger. Tailtwitchin' nut-eatin' bark-wallopers!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE VII – EXT. THE DRY WATERCOURSE - MORNING/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Morning brings FLEETSCUT no relief. As soon as he opened his eyes, he's complaining. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yaaagh! Ooh, the famine cramps, me paws've gone dead, I can't see, it's the Scoffless Lurgy, I've been struck down with the Witherin' Ear Fever. Food! Somebeast save me!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whump!/span/em/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING lands slam in his middle, bringing FLEETSCUT down flat and stifling his mouth with both paws as she hissed angrily./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Idiot, shoutin' and wailin' across the country. Didn't thou hear Beddle calling for all to keep low, there be vermin abroad? Lie still and silent or I'll slay thee myself!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING peeps over the top of the dried streambank. RURO and GROOD scuttle up to join her./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Something be moving o'er there, Ruro, see!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRURO /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, I see it well enough. The grass is long out there, and 'tis moving the opposite way to the breeze." "I wonder how many of them there be?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGROOD/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span(About to make an estimate)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Cuffs GROOD's ear lightly) Curb thy language, Grood! Stay low, everybeast, and mayhap they'll pass us by. No sense inviting trouble./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT rubs his stomach, and popped his head up, took a quick glimpse of the waving grass./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling out) Wot ho there, show yourselves, we're friends!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Immediately the spiked heads of two hedgehogs rose above the grass as they strode toward the streambed. JUKKA THE SLING fixes FLEEETSCUT with her gimlet eye. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"How didst thou know they were hedgedogs?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Waggling his ears in a cavalier fashion) I'm a Salamandastron hare, y'see. We can scent vermin a day away, or at least we used to in the old days. Well now, you chaps, whom have we the honor of addressin', wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The two burly male beasts rolled awkwardly into the ditch./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRASSUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"G'day to yer. I'm Grassum, an' this 'ere's my brother Reedum. You ain't by any chance spotted an 'ogbabe wand'rin' loose in these parts, 'ave yer? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT shakes their paws, carefully avoiding the spikes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Can't say we have, really. Give us a description an' we'll keep a weather eye out for the little tyke./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GRASSUM does all the talking, his brother merely nods and saying aye to emphasize the case. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRASSUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Skittles be 'is given name. We took 'im off'n some foxes last season. Doesn't know who 'is mum'n'dad are, or where they be, ain't that right, Reedum?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRASSUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Calls us 'is two wicked uncles, jus' 'cos we makes 'im go t'bed early an' wash reg'lar, eh, Reedum?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRASSUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Enny'ow, Skittles done a bunk on us an' got hisself lost. We been a-searchin' for 'im two days now, me'n'Reedum./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Laboriously they began climb out of the streambed. FLEETSCUT called hopefully after them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I say, you chaps haven't got the odd morsel of grub about you—a leftover apple pie or some unwanted salad, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GRASSUM looks down on him from the banktop. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRASSUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We ain't got a crust t'spare atween us, 'ave we, Reedum?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Nay! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Smiling ruefully) Good day, sirs. Thanks for the information, Grassum. Oh, and thanks for your scintillating conversation, Reedum. I actually got quite excited when you switched from aye to nay. Dashed clever trick that, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING casts a jaundiced eye over FLEETSCUT as she marched off. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I wish thou wert as talkative as yon Reedum!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. THE DRIED WATERCOURSE – DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Montage - Hot, dusty and tiring, the day passes uneventfully, wearies on both paws and spirits of the trekkers. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"End Montage/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. THE DRIED WATERCOURSE - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT became convinced his end was near from starvation./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING and RURO bear their hunger grimly and steadfastly, neither ask nor take sustenance from the sparse rations of their tribal comrades. At evening the dried streambed petered out, and they made camp for the night on the open moor, squatting around a fire they had kindled in the lee of a boulder. FLEETSCUT's moods had range from outrage and name-calling to silent high dudgeon and finally a fatalistic resignation. He lies apart from the others, quiet for a while. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Moaning his thoughts aloud) Oh dearie dearie me, 'tis a hard life an' a jolly old sad death, wot. Perishin' out here on the grassy plains without anybeast to mourn over me benighted bones. Hunger, thirst, the Scoffless Lurgy, Witherin' Ear Fever an' the Dreaded Numb Deadpaw. That's besides Tummyshrink Ague an' Fearsome Red Scutrot. Oho yes, mates, you name it an' old Fleetscut's suffered it! A walkin' bonebag, courageous t'the last, too proud to beg a crust from me messmates. Fadin' away sad an' slow. Wonder if they'll strike a medal for me, wot? A skinny hare with a brave smile, that'd be about right. Oh, an' in the background, lots of fat, wobbly squirrels, grinnin' like stuffed toads. Eh, wozzat?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A slingstone bounces off the ground close to his head. JUKKA THE SLING whirls her sling, fully loaded with a rock, and she has a wild determined glint in her eye. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We've stood enough o' thy ceaseless whimperin' an' whining, longears. Speak one more word an' this rock will find thee!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE VIII – INT. CAVERNS OF SALAMANDASTRON - DAY/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Silence reigns in the hidden cavern beneath Salamandastron, broken only by the dripping of water and the snores of LORD STONEPAW and his hares. Not knowing the time of day or night, they had succumb to their natural urge to sleep. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Where in the name o' fang'n'fur have they got to? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"STIFFENER MEDICK comes awake at the sound of voices outside the cave. It's the two Blue Horderats Rotface and Grinak, returning with the food and drink they had been sent for. STIFFENER MEDICK listens to their conversation; they were obviously lost./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Huh, don't ask me. Y'd think they'd 'ave left us some sign for direction, or jus' sat an' waited fer us!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well, wot d'y'say we jus' sit down an' wait for them?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Can't do that. They might be miles away. We could be down 'ere forever!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aha, but they won't last long, will they? We've got the food. Heeheehee, d'yer fancy some o' this plum pudden from the Lord Badger's kitchens, eh, Grinak?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You must be jokin', Rotface. Cap'n Swinch'd 'ave the hide off'n our backs fer stealin' vittles!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The voices recede down the passage./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"STIFFENER MEDICK slips through the rift and goes after them, silent as a shadow. Before long he can see the flicker of their torch up ahead. He follows, hoping they would soon stop to rest, but the rats wandered on, willy nilly, from chamber to corridor and cavern to tunnel, for what seemed an age. Finally GRINAK finds a low rock shelf and plonks himself down on it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"This is 'opeless. We're lost, aye, an' by the looks of it they are, too. We've not 'ad sound nor sight of 'em yet!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE sits down next to his companion. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yer right there, Grin. These flasks of ale are weighin' me down—me paws are killin' me. Wot say we swap, you carry the drink awhile, I'll carry the food, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Snorting) No chance, mate. You thought they'd be lighter—that's why you ran t'pick 'em up./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSTIFFENER MEDICK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling in an imitation of a hordebeast) Over here, idiots, over here!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Both rats jumped up, scared of being caught sitting down./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE peers into the darkness behind them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Sounds like they're down there, wot d'you think, Grin?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINATK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Sounds go different ways down 'ere. Mebbe they're up yonder./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Wot'll we do, then?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Give me the torch. I'll go an' look where you reckon they are. Stay 'ere an' wait fer me./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oh no, slyboots, yore not leavin' me alone wid no light! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well, you go. I'm not scared, I'll wait 'ere. Go on!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GRINAK goes cautiously, holding the torch high, calling out softly, so it would not echo./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling out softly, so it won't echo) Cap'n Swinch, Magician Groddil, is that you, sirs?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSTIFFENER MEDICK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling out imitating CAPTAIN SWINCH around a bend in the passage) Who d'you think it is, addlebrain? We're here!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GRINAK hurries around the bend, his face is illuminated by the torch. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRINAK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We been lookin' all over for y— /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"His words are cut short by a swift powerful right and a left uppercut which batters him flat with lightning speed from STIFFENER MEDICK. He catches the torch before it fell./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE peers down the passage and sees the light of the torch wave from side to side. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Wot is it, mate? 'Ave yer found 'em?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSTIFFENER MEDICK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Answering in a passable imitation of Grinak's harsh voice) We're goin'. 'Urry up!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE scuttles down the passage, dragging the food and drink behind him, afraid of being lost and alone. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Wait, 'ang on, I'm comin'!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"As ROTFACE rounds the bend STIFFENER MEDICK strikes. Unfortunately, the he doesn't realize that ROTFACE's head is bowed as he struggled with the packs. STIFFENER MEDICK's blow hits the rat, but only grazed his skull. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE drops the packs. He's a big, solid rat. Shaking his head, he goes for his dagger. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hah! 'Tis only an old rabbit. Come on, Grandad, let's see the color of yer insides!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"STIFFENER MEDICK isn't given to exchanging badinage with vermin. Coolly he springs forward, feinting with a left at the ROTFACE's stomach. Immediately ROTFACE stabs downward with his blade. A swinging right hits ROTFACE like a thunderbolt, breaking his jaw, and he collapses with a sigh. STIFFENER MEDICK is off down the passage, the two packs in either paw, the torch clamped in his jaws./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD STONEPAW and the others fall on the food with gusto, though the LORD STONEPAW shakes his head disapprovingly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD STONEPAW/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You could have got yourself slain. Why didn't you wake me?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"STIFFENER MEDICK turns his attention from a fruit scone. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSTIFFENER MEDICK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You need yore sleep, sah. So did those two vermin. Couldn't box for acorns, either of 'em!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BLENCH winks at him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBLENCH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"That's ole Stiffener for ye, lays 'em out stiff he does! Here, my dearie, try some o' my plum pudden./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"STIFFENER MEDICK accepts it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSTIFFENER MEDICK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Chuckling) Only did it 'cos I couldn't stand the thought of vermin gettin' used to yore wunnerful cookin', marm. Now if'n those two grandsons o' mine was with us, young Southpaw an' his brother Bobweave, they'd 'ave put those two rats down an' gone lookin' for more. Pair o' rascals. Talk about fight? Those two'd swim the great sea just t'be in on a good scrap. 'Course, I taught 'em, y'know./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE IX – INT. LORD STONEPAW'S CHAMBER - DAY/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN has now taken up residence in the mountain. He liked the view from LORD STONEPAW's chamber. Sprawling on the bed, he samples the LORD STONEPAW's best mountain ale, while chewing a savory cheese and onion flan from BLENCH's kitchen. A guard stands beside the arch of the doorway./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A knock sounds on the door. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The GUARD opens it at a nod from UNGATT TRUNN. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"THE GRAND FRAGORL glides in, standing to one side as GRODDIL, CAPTAIN SWINCH, ROTFACE and GRINAK are ushered in by CAPTAIN FRAUL. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Putting aside food and drink, UNGATT TRUNN rises from the bed. He circles the four culprits slowly, his banded tail swishes as he notes their trembling paws./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I take it that the news is not good. Talk to me, Groddil. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRODDIL/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Fighting to keep his voice calm and level, reports) Mightiness, we have searched through endless dark caves beneath your mountain, with no taste of food nor drink passing our lips. It is cold down there and totally dark. Alas, Great One, we found no trace of the stripedog or his creatures, though it was not from lack of trying."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN leaps onto the window ledge and stands there, framed by the sky outside./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Who are these two Horderats? Why are they here?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanCAPTAIN SWINCH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Rapping orders) One pace forward, you two, stand to attention, eyes front, tell His Mightiness what happened to you!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"ROTFACE and GRINAK shake their heads uncontrollably as they rattle forth their concocted story to their fearsome master. They do it piecemeal, alternating one to the other, ROTFACE nurses his broken jaw./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We was sent back fer vittles by Cap'n Swinch, sire./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, an' when we returned with 'em the main search party wasn't there, Mighty One, so we was sort of lost./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"But we never ate nor rested, sire, we searched for 'em. We searched an' searched an' searched, sire./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Enny'ow, Mightiness, there we was, a-searchin', when all of a sudden we was surrounded. It was the stripedog an' more'n a score o' those rabbits!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanROTFACE /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Er, but well armed they was, sire. We fought 'em like madbeasts—there was blood everywhere!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGRINAK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Mightiness, there was too many of 'em. They stole the vittles an' left us fer dead, sire!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN is on the hapless pair like a hawk with two chickens. ROTFACE and GRINAK screech as the his claws sink into their shoulders. He shakes both of them, snapping their necks, and then with a mighty heave he hurls the two carcasses out of the wide window onto the rocks below. He's not breathing heavily, nor was there a trace of anger or bad temper on his face as he turned from the window ledge. He stares impassively at GRODDIL and CAPTAIN SWINCH as though nothing had happened./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Tomorrow at first light you will return to your task. The stripedog is alive and hiding down there with his hares. He will not escape me, because you will find him. Take as many to assist you as you wish, take supplies, extra torches, anything, but remember this: return empty-pawed and you will wish you had died quickly, like those two fools who stood lying barefaced in front of me. Fail me and your deaths will take the best part of a season, as an example to all. Do you understand what I have just said to you both?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"CAPTAIN SWINCH and GRODDIL retreat, bowing. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGRODDIL/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"As you command, Mightiness!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanCAPTAIN SWINCH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"We will find the stripedog and his hares, Great One!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN waits until they had make it to the door. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Wait! Captain Fraul, have these two staked out on the shore below, where I may see them from this window. They are not to have food or water. Choose two strong soldiers to beat them with the flats of their own sword blades, and tell them to lay on hard. It will serve as a warning to my forces that nobeast fails to carry out the orders of Ungatt Trunn, not even a captain or a magician. They may be released at dawn tomorrow to continue their search./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RIPFANG and DOOMEYE, the new recruits, are chosen to administer the punishment. They stand over their staked-out victims holding the swords high, looking up to the window. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN signals that the beatings should begin with a wave of his paw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RIPFANG smiles apologetically at the two quivering figures pinioned on the sand./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRIPFANG/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Orders is orders. No 'ard feelin's, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Swish thwack! Swish thwack!/span/em/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The sound of the flogging is soon drowned out by CAPTAIN and GRODDIL's screams. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN turns from the window and prowls down to the dining hall with THE GRAND FRAGORL hurrying behind. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"INT. DINING HALL OF SALAMANDASTRON - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Threescore captive hares are herded into a corner, ringed by armed Hordebeasts. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanCAPTAIN ROAG/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Salutes smartly) These sixty of the lesser orders await your judgment, sire!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanTHE GRAND FRAGORL/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Addressing the prisoners in her usual toneless cadence) You longears are of an inferior species, not fit to live in the shadow of the higher orders. It is only on the whim of my master that you still draw breath. Ungatt Trunn, he who makes the stars fall and the earth tremble! Ungatt Trunn, the Fearsome Beast who drinks wine from the skulls of his enemies, Conqueror of the World! You live now only to serve him in slavery. If your work is not satisfactory, one of you will be hurled from the top of this mountain each day. You hold the lives of your own comrades forfeit!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SAILEARS can't restrain herself. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSAILEARS/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Crying out) I hope I live to see the day you're chucked from the mountaintop, cat!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A spear butt strikes her in the face and she goes down. The GUARD 2 who had delivered the blow raises his weapon again, point down, to slay SAILEARS. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ungatt stops him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Halt! Leave that creature be!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Parting ranks, the GUARDS allow UNGATT TRUNN passage to SAILEARS. He stands over her, shaking his head. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN (CONT'D) /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I wish my creatures had spirit like yours, hare. What is it that creates such bravery and loyalty to some old fool of a stripedog?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ignoring her swollen jaw, SAILEARS levers herself upright. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSAILEARS/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You wouldn't jolly well know, cat, an' you prob'ly wouldn't understand if I tried to tell you, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN stands, paws akimbo, smiling slightly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Smiling slightly) All I know about is conquest. I rule through fear, not affection. I'll wager you know where the stripedog is hiding at the moment, eh? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SAILEARS maintains a defiant silence, exploring a loosened tooth with her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Shaking his head in admiration) Aye, I can see you do! More than likely you'd rather die than tell me, and so would all your comrades. No matter, I'll find him. Just remember now that you are my slaves—you are all prisoners until you die!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Then SAILEARS does a strange thing. She places one paw against her head, the other over her heart. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSAILEARS/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Smiles) If that's what y'think then you've lost, cat. We all are free, here in our minds an' here in our hearts!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN turns on his paw and strides off, calling back,/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling back) Don't push your luck, or I'll show you how easy it is to break a creature's spirit!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He is answered by a concerted roar from the prisoners. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanALL PRISONERS TOGETHER /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Shouting at the top of their lungs) Eulalia! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN whispers something to THE GRAND FRAGORL, then departs the dining hall without a backward glance. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"THE GRAND FRAGORL holds her paws up to gain the hares' attention. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanTHE GRAND FRAGORL/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"His Mightiness has decreed that you starve, every one of you, the next two days for your insolence. Take them away and lock them up!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Before any of the Horde could lay paws on the captives, TORLEEP, a fine upright old hare, raps out some orders. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanTORLEEP/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Form twelve ranks five deep, you lot! Look lively now, dress off to y'right! 'Ten…shun! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"As one the remaining hares stand as professional soldiers./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanTORLEEP (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Straighten up at the back theyah, laddie buck, show these vermin how it's done! Chin in, head back, shoulders straight, eyes forward, ears stiff! That's the stuff! Now, by the right, quick march! One two, one two! Right markers, keep those lines straight!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The hares march off to their prison cave, surrounded by CAPTAIN ROAG's bewildered vermin, who can't comprehend how a defeated band of ancient hares can sing in captivity, although sing they did, loud, long and courageously./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanALL TOGETHER/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I'm a hare of Salamandastron, br / An' foes don't bother me, br / I'll fight all day an' sing all night, br / This song of liberty! Liberty! Liberty! br / That's for me, br / The mountain hares are wild an' free! br / One two three hooray! br / You can't stop sunrise every day! br / I'm a hare of Salamandastron, br / I wander near an' far, br / You'll know me when y'see me, br / 'Cos I'll shout Eulalia! Liberty! Liberty! br / That's for me, br / From good dry land to stormy sea! br / One two three hooray! br / You can't stop sunset every day!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. AT THE ENTRANCE TO SALAMANDASTRON - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN can hear the singing from where he stands at the mountain's main shore entrance. He looks at the black charred doors, still solid upon their hinges, and out to the shoreline, crowded by his mighty hordes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(To nobeast in particular commenting aloud) Fools, nought but old fools!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He strides down to the unconscious forms of GRODDIL and CAPTAIN SWINCH, and picked up a pail of seawater. He hurls it on their backs. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They are revived, moaning with pain. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN leans down close, so he had their attention. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanUNGATT TRUNN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I want that stripedog found!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. IN FRONT OF THE PRISONERS OUTSIDE SALMANDASTRON – DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN'S POV/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"UNGATT TRUNN is about to threaten further when a vision of LORD BROCKTREE flashes into his thoughts. He's as big, shadowy and as forbidding as the war blade he carries across his back. Straightening up, UNGATT TRUNN gazes out to sea. He is visibly shaken by the vision./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE X – EXT. RIVER MOSS - DAY/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Sunshaded, green and tranquil, the stream stretches, lazily meandering through the woodlands on this the questors' first full day together. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI and GURTH sat up for'ard, chattering away in molespeech; RUFFGAR BROOKBACK and LORD BROCKTREE are aft, paddling. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK nods approvingly at their new crew member's velvety back. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Looks like we found a treasure there, matey. That brekkist ole Gurth cooked up this mornin' would've made his dad proud o' him. Bet yore glad we brought him along./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, and he's not feared of boats or water, like most moles. He looks as strong as you or I, Ruff!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"D'ye think so? Well, we'll find out soon enough. Ahoy there, you two in the prow, pick up yore paddles an' lend a paw here. Let's make a liddle speed, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH is a bit inexperienced, but as soon as he gets the knack of wielding a paddle, there was none better. He enjoys himself immensely./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hurr, Dott miz, this be better'n diggen at tunnel 'oles. Ee can keep ee paws noice'n'clean. Oi loiks boaten on ee stream gurtly. Et be foine furr ee choild such as oi!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI pants as she struggles to keep stroke with GURTH. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH's strength and endurance seemed boundless; he's not even breathing heavily. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whurr did ee getten t'be so strong, zurr Gurth?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ho, oi 'spect et be all ee vittles oi scoffed. Gudd grub an' lots o' sleepen, that be's ee stuff. Least that's wot moi ole mum alius sez!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"In the early noon a watermeadow appeared to the south. DOTTI's keen ears soon pick up sounds from its far side. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling to LORD BROCKTREE) I say, sah, some kind o' jolly old hubbub goin' on over there. Shall we wander over an' take a look, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE scans the sidestream, searching for an entrance, but it seems to be blocked by dead wood cast there from the streamflow. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"There's no way into the watermeadow. Perhaps we should leave our log here and skirt the banks. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You'm set thurr, zurr, oi'll sort 'er owt!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH grabs a hefty beech limb with his big digging claws. With a mighty tug he tore it free from the debris of driftwood, creating an entrance for them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thurr y'be. Naow take 'er in noice'n'easy, miz Dott. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Chuckling) I never seen that done afore by a mole!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. – WATERMEADOW - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The watermeadow is extremely hard to negotiate. They are constantly shaking thick, bunched weed and long waterlily stems off the paddles. From the far side the sounds of urgent shouts and creatures thrashing about in the rushes echo over the water./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GREEN /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Get ahead o' the rascal. Cut 'im off, Riggo! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanRIGGO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I got 'im. No I ain't—the liddle scallywag's away agin!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Kangle, Furrib, there 'e goes. Stop the scamp!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"This is followed by a sharp screech and a splash. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanKANGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Owow, the blighter spiked me. 'E's fallen in, chief!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanFURRIB/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Fur'n'snouts, look out, 'ere comes a pike, a big 'un!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The pointed log prow breaks through a reedbank, and GURTH, DOTTI, RUFFGAR BROOKBACK and LORD BROCKTREE take in the scene at a glance./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Several shrews are dancing in agitation, pointing wildly at the water. A tiny hedgehog is going down for the second time, splashing and gurgling. He's in deadly danger. Gliding smoothly toward the hogbabe is a massive pike, its rows of needle-like teeth exposed as its jaws opened in anticipation, the dorsal fin near its tail sticking out of the water, dragging weeds along. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Yelling in dismay) By the left, look at the size o' that brute. He'll crunch the little tyke in one bite, spikes and all!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The shrews throw up their paws hopelessly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFURRIB/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He's a dead 'un all right!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanKANGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Nought we kin do now, mates! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH tries to reach out with his paddle to the hogbabe, but he was too far away for it to do any good. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Burrhurr, ee pore likkle h'aminal!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Then RUFFGAR BROOKBACK dashes the length of the log to gain momentum and leaps high, soaring over GURTH and DOTTI in a spectacular dive./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOCKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Roaring while he sailed through the air) Ye great slab-sided wormgargler, come t'me!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Vegetation and spray fly everywhere as RUFFGAR BROOKBACK hits the water purposely to divert the pike from its prey. Instead of swimming for the babe, RUFFGAR BROOKBACK goes like lightning at the fish. He shoots by the pike like an arrow, swirls and brings his powerful tail crashing against its flat, vicious head. Rearing up out of the water, he throws himself on the predator. They both go down. LORD BROCKTREE, DOTTI and GURTH paddle furiously, taking the log in between the pike and the hogbabe. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH hooks the tiny creature's little belt with a digging claw and fished him on board./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The shrews jump up and down with excitement, yelling encouragement to Ruff. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanKANGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yiiiiihaaaaa! Hold him, big feller, you got the Riverwolf!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Flashes of otter fur and green-gold scales revolve furiously in the clouded water, then the two break the surface. RUFFGAR BROOKBACK has his paws clamped like a vise about the pike's mouth, holding it tight shut, while harsh wet slaps rang out as the mighty predator battered its tail, fins and body against its captor, struggling to break free and attack him. RUFFGAR BROOKBACK uses his tail rudder like a club, striking the pike's head madly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whack! Smack! Splat! Thwock! Bang!/span/em/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The pike falls back under RUFFGAR BROOKBACK's assault, eyes glazing over, speckled body going limp. Releasing it, He practically flies through the water and surges onto the log, blowing water. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whooh! That'll put paid to 'is gallop for a while, Dotti, though he'll wake up with a headache like nobeast's business. 'Tweren't easy, though. You ever tried stunnin' a full-growed pike with yore tail?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI peers behind at her small, round tail and wiggles it sadly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Er, 'fraid I haven't, old chap. A hare's tail's not exactly built for biffin' pike with, wot! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The pike must have had a thick skull. Partially recovered, it displays its savage nature by charging the log. LORD BROCKTREE thumps it, none too gently, on its snout with his paddle./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Gurcha! Away with you, or I'll really put something on your mind. Be off, sir!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"With an angry swish of its tail, the fish rips off into the depths, its voracious appetite unsated. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Dropping her paddle for a moment, DOTTI rummages through one of the packs until she finds a piece of material which she used as a towel. She hands it to the hogbabe and he drapes it around his tiny body, muttering mutinously to himself. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Gone an' gorall wet now. Kinfounded sh'oo, pushen me inna water. Skikkles didden wanna baff!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH nudged DOTTI as they watch the infant hedgehog. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yurr, miz, be ee likkle bloke awroight?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI can't resist smiling at the disgruntled babe./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yurr. Ee'm furr rowdled, but ee'll live, oi 'spect, Gurth!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"No sooner do they touch the shore than RUFFGAR BROOKBACK is surrounded by shrews clapping him on the back. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFURRIB /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yore a rough ole beast, matey!" "You beat the Riverwolf! You showed 'im!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanKANGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, 'e was champion o' these waters till you came along!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Lemme shake yore paw, warrior. I'm Log a Log Grenn!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK shakes heartily with the shrew Chieftain./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Pleased t'meet ye, Grenn. Couldn't let the liddle 'un get ate, so I had to tail whop ole Riverwolf./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hoho, an' a fine job ye did of it, mate. Come an' take lunch with us. Beach that log an' bring yore friends./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. THE SHREW CAMP - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The shrew camp was little more than blankets stretched over branches to form makeshift tents. Introductions were made all around, and LOG A LOG GRENN called for food. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling) Oi, cookie! Get some grub goin' for me mates and me self here!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSPIKEFUR/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Retorting) I'll go an boil your head and serve it to'em if you talks to me like that again chief!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE watches in amusement as the shrews argue and fight over who was going to serve RUFFGAR BROOKBACK. They square off at one another, scruffy fur standing up aggressively, pawing their small rapiers and adjusting their multicolored headbands to jaunty angles. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanCURDLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oi, back off there, fiddlepaws, I'm servin' mister Ruff! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanBURDOCK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Talk t'me like that, twinjynose, an' I'll serve ye yore teeth on a plate. I'm waitin' on mister Ruff!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI helps herself to hot shrewbread and a bowl of steaming vegetable stew. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Touchy lot you've got here, Grenn marm. Are they always like this?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN calmly shrugs off an arguing shrew who had stumbled against her. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Always, long as anybeast can remember. We shrews can't 'elp bein' wot we are, born to argue. I want to thank you an' yore pals for rescuin' Skikkles. We found the liddle tyke wanderin' 'round a while back. Wot a pawful that babe is. I never knew anybeast with such a mind of'n his own, ain't that right, Skikkles?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The babe in question waved a severe paw under LOG A LOG GRENN'S nose. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKIKKLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Me name's Skikkles, not Skikkles!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Attempting to translate) Oh, I see. Your name's Skiddles!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SKITTLES scowled darkly, huddling deeper into the towel. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Cheekily) Tchah! Shoopid rabbik. Me name not Skivvles, it Skikkles!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI tries another alternative. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You say your name's Skittles?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He smiles patronizingly at her, as if the message had finally got over./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Tha's right. Skikkles!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Explaining to LOG A LOG GRENN) His name's Skittles, but he's a bit young to pronounce it properly, so he calls himself Skikkles./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN places a bowl of stew in front of SKITTLES, who promptly buries his snout in it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"There's one or two things I could call 'im, an' they wouldn't be Skittles. That'n's a right liddle terror!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SKITTLES pokes his stew-covered nose over the bowl at her. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Me name not jus' Skikkles, y'know. I called Skikkle Bee Spikediggle, tha's me real long name./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Dotti breaks shrewbread and dips it in her stew. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"What does the Bee stand for?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Eying Dotti ferociously) The Bee's for Burrtrump, but I pull you ears very 'ard if you tells anybeast!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI narrows her eyes and gave Skittles a savage grimace. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"If you ever call me rabbit again, or even rabbik, I'll tan your tail bright red, then I'll announce to everybeast that your middle name's Burrtrump. So how d'you feel about that, master Skittles, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SKIDDLES visibly decides that DOTTI has him over a barrel, and stumps off without another word. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK is the center of attention. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The shrew females wiggle their snouts at him in a very flattering manner, while the males serve him the best of their food, which together with the shrewbeer they brewed is voted totally delicious by the friendly otter. Young shrews began showing off their prowess to impress him. They fence and perform tricks with their rapiers, and wrestled, a favorite sport among LOG A LOG GRENN's tribe./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI and GURTH sit watching them. DOTTI is quite impressed. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I say, well done, chaps. By the left, Gurth, these shrews are jolly good wrestlers, wot? /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH nods politely. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They'm furr t'middlin', miz, but moi dad's moles be knowen more about wrasslin' than they 'uns, gurtly more, ho arr!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI is intrigued. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I don't suppose you wrestle, do you?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURRTH twiddles his claws, smiling modestly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Burr aye, miz Dotti, oi be champyun wrassler of ee moles. Oi winned ee gurt sil'er bucklebelt at et, lukk!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH opens his tunic and shows her the belt he wore beneath. The buckle was of wrought silver, depicting two moles tussling. GURTH's name is etched on it in molescript: Gwrt. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"'Course, oi doan't loik a-showen et off'n to everybeast./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI nudges her molefriend. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You sly old tunneldog. How about givin' me a small demonstration? Go on, please—test your skill on those shrews. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Fastening up his tunic, GURTH shrugs and flexed his muscles. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oi vows oi woan't 'urt 'em, miz. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Standing in the midst of the wrestling shrews./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Calling out his challenge in a deep bass voice) Oi be ee choild o' Longladle, borned daown ee darkest deep tunnel! Oi'm farster'n loightnen, 'arder'n ee rocks an' stronger'n moi mum's ale!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH bends and scars a furrow in the ground with his claw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Who be's bolden enuff to step o'er ee loine an' wrassle oi?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Several of the shrews line up, rubbing their paws in anticipation. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH signaled the first one. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You'm lukk a moighty beast, zurr. Step ee oop!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The shrew charges recklessly. GURTH sidestepped neatly, and cuffs him as he hurtles by. The shrew somersaults once and lands flat on his back, completely winded./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH (CONT'D) H/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hurr, gudd h'effort, zurr. Oi'll take two of ee next./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Two more impetuous shrews flings themselves at him. GURTH does no more than grab their tails, twist, and send them crashing head-on into one another. He bows. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thankee, gennelbeasts. Ennywunn else troi they'm luck?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A much bigger, older shrew crosses the line and goes into an expert wrestler's crouch, holding his paws ready to grip. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Smiling broadly at him, GURTH accepts the grip./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanDANDYspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yeeowowow! Leggo! Yer breakin' me paws! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH turns to DOTTI, still holding his opponent./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';""Oi tole ee, miz Dott, they'm gudd, but not gudder'n oi!"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He releases the shrew and ambled back to his seat. However, another shrew, bolder than his compatriots, leaps on GURTH's back and locks all four paws around his neck in a submission stranglehold./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"GURTH reaches behind, tweaks the shrew's tail experimentally, then gives it a sharp tug to the right. His opponent falls to the floor, frozen in the same position as when he landed on GURTH's back. Smiling and shaking his head, the champion wrestler sits down beside DOTTI. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hurr hurr hurr. Ee'm wurr a cunnen h'aminal, miz, but goin' agin ee rools. Oi'll let 'im lay thurr awhoile. May'ap 'twill teach 'im ee manner or two. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Gazing adoringly at her molefriend) I say, you were magnificent! Would you teach me to wrestle like that, Gurth? Please!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Burr aye, 'ow cudd oi afuse such an' 'andsome creetur as ee, marm? Us'll start a-trainin' this vurry h'evenin'./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Winks at Lord Brocktree) See, the old fatal beauty always does the trick, sah./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE XI – THE SHREW CAMP – LATE EVENING/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They lingered at the shrew camp until late evening. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK and GURTH are such firm favorites that the shrews pleaded with them to extend their visit. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE and SKITTLES wandered the camp together, the tiny hedgehog seats astride the badger's sword hilt, up on his friend's huge shoulders, carrying on lively conversations./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Pretending to be annoyed) Get down from there, you wretch. It's like having a big boulder perched on my back, you great lump!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"You make Skikkles geddown, I choppa your 'ead off wiv dis sword, B'ock!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oh, well, I suppose you'd better stay up there. Keep to the hilt, though—don't go near that blade, you nuisance!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Directing with a paw) C'mon, B'ock, gee up, we go lookin' for berries! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Great seasons o' famine, will somebeast rid me of this pestilence? What sort of berries d'you want, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Nice sweety ones, dat's wot Skikkles like./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK sits with LOG A LOG GRENN, sampling shrewbeer. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(chuckling at the antics of SKITTLES and LORD BROCKTREE) Will ye lookit him, marm. Big softie. That liddle 'og has Brock twirled about his paw! Ahoy there, Dotti, have ye wrestled that mole to a standstill yet?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI neatly trips her instructor, so that he falls sitting next to RUFFGAR BROOKBACK. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Smiling approvingly) No, zurr, miz Dott bain't winned oi yet, but 'er soon will. She'm a gurt clever wrassler — lurns quicker'n anybeast oi ever h'instructered, burr aye!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI sits with them, accepting a beaker of dandelion and burdock cordial from LOG A LOG GRENN. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Huh, don't listen t'that fat fibber. I'm sore as a peeled onion all over from bein' blinkin' well thrown by him. Still, I am learnin' one or two jolly good wrestlin' wheezes—breakfalls, holds, locks an' whatnot, wot./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN pours cordial for GURTH. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Mayhap you'll need 'em if yore bound t'follow Lord Brock to the mountain by the seas. From what he tells me his dreams are worried. He sees visions of great trouble there./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI sips her delicious drink, which had been cooling in the stream for a night and a day. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well, he could be right, marm. Badger Lords ain't like the rest of us. They're fated beasts who see strange things./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN gnaws her lip, and stares off into space, when RUFFGAR BROOKBACK nudges her. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Go on, Grenn, say it. You wants t'come with us, don't ye?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN stands up and stretches before answering./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Guosim shrews need somethin' t'do. Look at 'em, cookin', wrestlin', arguin'. Huh, we've been too long in one place now. Nothin' better for shrews than havin' somethin' t'do—keeps them up t'the line. Aye, Ruff, if'n ye'll have us, the Guosim are with you all the way!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"All four clasped paws. LOG A LOG GRENN is highly pleased, now that she had made her decision. GURTH twiddles his digging claws politely, asking a question which is puzzling him. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whoi do ee be called Guosims, marm, furrgive moi h'iggerance?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Explaining proudly about the shrew tradition) Guosim. Guerrilla Union Of Shrews In Mossflower, that's what the letters of our name stand for. I'm called Log a Log because all shrew Chieftains are. We're rovers, bold waterbeasts and fierce warriors, sworn to uphold good an' defeat evil. All Guosim shrews are bound under oath to help one another in battle./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanGURTH/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Winks)Purty yoosful to 'ave along, oi'd say, marm!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE returns, both paws full of small hard pears which he spread on the ground before lifting SKITTLES down to earth. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Sighs)Couldn't find any berries, but the pestilence here came across these wild pears, sweet, but hard as stones. He wouldn't rest until we'd picked some, dreadful rogue!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SKITTLES seats himself on LORD BROCKTREE's footpaw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well, sh'oos be good cookers, they do sumfin wiv 'em./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LOG A LOG GRENN picks up a pear and tastes it. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLOG A LOG GRENN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"He's right. We've got lots of sweet chestnuts from last autumn. Once these 'ere pears are stewed down the cooks can make some lovely pear'n'chestnut flans./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SKITTLES looks up and winks with both eyes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanSKITTLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"See, B'ock, I tol' you. Make nice flangs. Glenn, Skikkle be's 'ungry. I never 'ave a flang, mus' be nice!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"DOTTI takes SKITTLE's paw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDOTTI/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Come on then, famine face, gather 'em up an' we'll go an' lend a paw with the shrewcooks./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Looking at LORD BROCKTREE) I got some good news for ya matey./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE looks at RUFFGAR BROOKBACK curiously./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Log a log Green wants to join us on our way to the mountain!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(So overjoyed, though he changes his plans on the spot) Right, no more lying around here. I vote that we break camp in the morning and get under way!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBACK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Objects) Ahoy there, Brock, hold yer paddles, matey. There's me, Gurth, Dotti, Grenn an' about a hunnerd shrews. If'n we wants to lie 'round for a day or two then you'll find yore prob'ly outvoted!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"LORD BROCKTREE's eyes tell RUFFGAR BROOKBACK that he's not about to have his decision overruled. Swinging forth his battle blade, he sticks it quivering into the ground. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanLORD BROCKTREE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Let's be reasonable about this, friend. Let me explain the rules. One Badger Lord carries two hundred votes and his sword carries another hundred. Agreed?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RUFFGAR BROOKBACK looks from the sword to the badger. Sunlight gleams from the blade, lighting LORD BROCKTREE's eyes with a formidable gleam. He smiles nervously at his huge friend./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRUFFGAR BROOKBAC/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Reason, that's wot I likes, mate. Vote carried. We go after brekkist tomorrer!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"SCENE XII – THE DRY WATERCOURSE, OUTSIDE THE COURT OF KING BUCKA - MORNING/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT'S wild yells wakens the squirrels. JUKKA THE SLING rubs irately at her eyes as she approaches the dancing hare, /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO hurries to join her. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING loads a stone into her sling. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Methinks the time has come to silence that longeared windbag!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO places a restraining paw on her leader's shoulder. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Mayhap he is more to be pitied than punished, Jukka. I think his mind has snapped, crazed from the hunger. Fleetscut, wouldst thou not like to lie down an' rest, old friend? I'll pick some roots for thee to nibble upon, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"But FLEETSCUT continues to prance about and shout. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Nibble roots? D'you think I've gone off me bally rocker? Look, there 'tis! Plain as the washin' on me granny's line!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT calms visibly somewhat at the sight of the loaded sling. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Right, pay 'tention there, follow the line of me paw, wot. Now, d'ye see those two tall silver firs yonder, eh? Notice anythin' about 'em, wot? They've had most of the lower boughs chopped away and a thin dead trunk placed high on two notches atween 'em!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Nodding) Aye, 'tis true, I see them./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT smites his forehead with a paw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thank me grandpa's whiskers for that! So, marm, does that crosspiece not look t'ye as if it's been purposely placed there? Use your noggin, squirrel—that's a letter H. It stands for Hare. H is for blinkinflippinbloomin' Hare! D'ye catch my drift at last, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Dryly)Well done, hare, thou canst spell the name of thine own species. Ruro, break camp. We'll make for yonder sign straightaway./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT follows them, /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Muttering) Good job the chap wasn't a squirrel. How in the name o' fur would he bend trees into an S shape, eh? Stiffen me, but I think the old tum's finally glued itself t'me backbone. Hope I make it there before I perish an' shrivel up, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The squirrel band marches into the tree shade by midmorn. GROOD stared up at the giant H sign. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanGROOD/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Gorrokah! How did anybeast get that splitten flitten gurgletwip up so high?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING cuffs his ears soundly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Language, Grood!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT finds some young dandelions and devours them. He comes across some wild ramsons, tasting strongly of garlic. He devours them, too, and continues his foraging, stumbling over the footpaws of squirrels resting in the treeshade./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I say, you chaps, move your carcasses. Stoppin' a poor beast gettin' at nature's bounty. Bounders!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They avert their faces from his breath, disgusted. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanELM BARK/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Whooh! Get thee gone, longears. Thou smellest like a midsummer midden at high noon. Ugh!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT then discovers some basil thyme and stuffs it down./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Confounded sissies. Try sniffin' yourselves after a couple o' days' marchin' without a wash betwixt ye. What a pong! Hello, here's luck, a couple of lamb's lettuce, yummy!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT eats them, flowers and all. Plus some harebells, sweet violets, chicory and butterwort. The greedy old hare then strips a small apple tree. He returns to JUKKA THE SLING's tribe about early noon, and finds them recuperating their strength by dozing in the pleasant green shade. FLEETSCUT stuffs down apples as if it were his last day on earth, sour juice foaming out over his whiskers./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Grmmff, shlick, shloop! Caught you nappin', eh? Well, no hard feelin's, you miserable bunch o' cads, I could do with a spot of the old shuteye meself, wot wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Spitting pips and stalks, FLEETSCUT lies down and instantly falls into a deep slumber./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. OUTSIDE THE COURT OF KING BUCKA - AFTERNOON/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Afternoon shadows begin to lengthen when JUKKA THE SLING stirs. She shakes RURO and BEDDLE. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Best make a move before eventide. Which way now?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO retrieves the parchment of bark scroll, which is hanging from FLEETSCUT's tunic. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Reads in a loud whisper) It says here: 'Discover then a streamwolf's ford, tug thrice upon the royal cord.' Where wouldst thou suppose that to be?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING judges by the sunshadows./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Nor'east has served us well thus far; we'll continue that way. Beddle, get them up on their paws. A ford means fresh water, that's good./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"None too gently, JUKKA THE SLING turns and rouses FLEETSCUT with a few kicks of her footpaw. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Waken thyself, windbag, or we leave ye here!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT comes awake, then doubled up with agonizing stomach cramps, which he lets everybeast know about with long piteous wailing. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Owowowowowooooow! Ouf! Umh! I knew I'd die. We made these woodlands too late, you chaps! Owowowooch! Your old pal's a goner. Bury me here, please, quick as y'can. Ooooooh! Anti-Trampin' Plague, that's what 'tis. Oooooh!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Obligingly SEVERAL SQUIRRELS begin kicking leaf loam over the suffering hare. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT springs up, spitting out leaves. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Gerroff, you rotters. What d'ye think you're up to?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Thou asked us to bury thee. We would not deny thee that./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanACORN/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, longears, th'art green in the gills. Methinks th'art close to Dark Forest gates!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT picks wet brown leaves from between his ears. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Dark Forest gates indeed! Ouchouchooch! Oh, me poor belly!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO grins and squeezes her friend's shoulders pityingly./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Couldn't have been anything that thou ate, of course?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT straightens up indignantly, then immediately folds over again, hugging his stomach. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Might have been a blighted worm in one of those apples! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBEDDLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Winking at RURO) Oh, pray tell, sir, which one? Thou great fodderbag, thee ate a whole treeful, every one of them sour. 'Twould have slain any other beast!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING leans on her broad-bladed spear impatiently./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ruro, do something for the bladder-headed oaf, or methinks he'll wail on until the crack o' doom./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT sits back against a sycamore, holding his distended stomach with both paws. He shut his eyes and mouth firmly, but not before remarking pointedly, /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Madam, I'm not eatin' that mishmash. Are you tryin' to hasten me flippin' demise, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Each of the squirrels had gleefully contributes a trickle of their water. RURO has a small fire going, over which she was boiling hound's-tongue leaves, milkwort, green alkanet blossoms and two sulfur tuft mushrooms in an old iron war helmet. The smell this concoction produced when she mashed it was horrendous. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA nods to BEDDLE and GROOD as RURO removed the helmet from the flames./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Take hold of the blockhead and grip him tight. Ruro, make him take it all!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BEDDLE and GROOD hold FLEETSCUT's head, while other squirrels pile on and sit on his limbs. BEDDLE pinches FLEETSCUT's nostrils so that he can't breathe. FLEETSCUT holds out until he seems fit to burst, then opens his mouth wide. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /span(Screaming) Assassins! Hare-murderers! Wharooop!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO pours the offensive mixture down FLEETSCUT's throat like a ministering angel, while JUKKA THE SLING looks on in grim satisfaction. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT bucks and writhes, to no avail. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"RURO manages to get the last of it down his mouth, and springs to one side as FLEETSCUT begins shuddering all over. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanRURO/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Let him go. Stand back, everybeast!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT leaps up like a startled fawn, scut twitching, ears erect, eyes popping wide, jaws quivering. He shot off among the trees like a shaft from a bow./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Foul toads! Pollywoggles! Great barrel-bummed poisoners! Wharrroooogggghhhh! Bluuuuuurgh!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Moments later he lollops back, rather unsteadily, with a wan smile pasted on his drooping features./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Never killed me, did you, smartytails, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A stern voice boomed from the edge of the camp. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Belaaay, put one paw near the rabbit an' we'll drop you all where y'stand!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A single-bladed hatchet thudded into the ground between FLEETSCUT and JUKKA THE SLING. Instantly, the woodland is thick with hedgehogs. The squirrels are surrounded. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The hog leader, a massive creature, made twice as big by the grass and leaves stuck to his quills as camouflage, strutted past JUKKA THE SLING and retrieves his hatchet. In the other paw he carries a shield of toughened beech bark, studded with shells. Staring fiercely at the squirrels, he puffs himself out, cheeks, stomach and chest./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Bushytailed mice, eh! Well, lissen, bullies, I wouldn't stand to see an 'og treated in that way, tortured an' poisinged, nor a rabbit, neither…/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Tapping the quills politely) Er, 'scuse me, old lad, but I'm a hare an' they were—/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Rounding on FLEETSCUT, Roaring) Who asked you, eh? Don't dare interrupt when Baron Drucco Spikediggle has the floor, or you'll get yourself chopped up into frogmeat, you will!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT paws away the hatchet hovering under his nose. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Beg pardon, but don't waggle that thing at me, I'm still feelin' a bit frail, doncha know. I was merely explain—/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE goes into a fury then, raising his hatchet and shouting in a voice which causes the leaves sticking round his mouth to blow away. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Belaaay that gab, rabbit! I won't stand it from my 'ogs, an' I won't take it from you. If I whack your 'ead off, that'll cure you of talkin'. Wot d'you think, Rabble?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The other hedgehogs begin banging their hatchets against their shields, each vying to shout louder than the rest. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanIRONSPIKE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hohoh, that's the stuff, baron!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanKEENEYE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Chop that rabbit's 'ead off!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanNEEDLES/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"That'd stop 'is chatter, baron! /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanDULLUM/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Does yer 'onor want us t'chop these bushmice up, too?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"A small wiry female hogwife pushes her way through. Grabbing BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE's hatchet from his paw, she brandishes it expertly, clipping the tip off one of his headspikes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Her voice was almost a shriek, high and shrill./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Yer blatherin' big pincushion, pin yer ears back an' lissen t'wot the rabbit's tryin' to tell yer./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE totally deflates. He picks up the tip of his headspike, he chews on it like a toothpick. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Mirklewort, yer showin' me up in front of me own rabble./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE ducks as she swings the hatchet again./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Show yer up? Every time you open that great trap o' yourn you show yerself up, breezebarrel!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"MIRKLEWORT turns quickly aside, /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Whispering) You 'ave yer say now. Shout out loud, mind. That's all this rabble pays 'eed to, beasts wot kin shout—even rabbits!" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Yelling at the top of his voice) I'm a hare, d'ye hear, a bally hare! These squirrels are my friends! They weren't harmin' me, just helpin' me through a serious illness, that's all! No need to go choppin' anybeast up 'round here, chaps, wot! Wot wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The rabble instantly goes silent to FLEETSCUT's visible surprise./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Hollering i a volume that hurts FLEETSCUT's ears) Well, why didn't yer say so at first, instead o' causin' all this trouble an' strife, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"MIRKLEWORT, swings the hatchet once more, and clips off another of BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE headspikes. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Because yer never gave 'im a wifflin' chance to, antbrain!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Sulkily BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE picks up the headspike tip and sticks it in his mouth, next to the first one. MIRKLEWORT pulls them out and stamps on them. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Will yew stop that, Drucco? Y'll 'ave eaten yerself up one day, carryin' on like that! Ask these creatures if they'd like some blackcurrant an' plum crumble. Go on, snitnose!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE's offer is readily accepted by FLEETSCUT and the squirrels. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"While the squirrels troop after Drucco to the hogden, FLEETSCUT, well aware of where the ruling power in the tribe lay, makes a wobbly though elegant leg to MIRKLEWORT, and offers his paw./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Allow me to escort you, marm. A pretty hogwife should never jolly well walk alone, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"MIRKLEWORT accepts graciously./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well well, ain't this grand? That 'usband o' mine wouldn't give yer a push off a rock!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE's tribe are known as the Rabble. They live in rabble conditions, even though their camp is nothing but a temporary one. However, neither JUKKA THE SLING nor FLEETSCUT can pretend that Rabble blackcurrant and plum crumble is anything other than first class. The guests seat themselves on a rotten elm trunk and dug into sizable bowls of the stuff, steaming hot and covered in sweet maple sauce./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Casually) Yew'll 'ave ter forgive us. The camp's a bit untidy. Of course, it ain't wot we're used to, is it, Drucco?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE licks white sauce from his snout and sniffs. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I should wifflin' well 'ope not. Still, wot's a liddle untidiness atwixt friends, eh, that's wot I allus say./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLNG shifts to accommodate a beetle grubbing its way out of the rotten log they were seated on. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(In a low murmurs to FLEETSCUT) A little untidiness indeed methinks the place looks like a battlefield in the midst of a midden!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The area is littered with chopped-off headspikes, broken bowls, fruit and vegetable skins and other debris, far too dreadful to mention./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT coughs politely and makes conversation, lest anybeast had heard JUKKA THE SLING's remarks. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ahem, I take it that you don't live hereabouts then, marm?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"MIRKLEWORT wipes spilled crumble from her lap with a withered dock leaf, which she then devours. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ho graciousness no, we're only up 'ere lookin' for our babe, liddle Skittles. The wifflin' wanderin' wogglespike—er, haha, I mean the darlin' h'infant 'og—went an' got 'isself losted. We've seen neither nose nor spike of 'im for a frog's age. Oh, I do 'ope 'e ain't been consoled by vermins./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE looks up in the midst of stealing a dozing compatriot's bowl of crumble. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Don't yew mean consorted?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT chips in, making sure his tone is loud enough. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I think the word you're lookin' for is consumed, chaps. Actually, we met up with two hedgehog types, Grassum and Reedum they called themselves, couple o' days back. They found your babe an' adopted him, but the little tyke escaped from them and wandered off again, wot. We're keepin' a weather eye out for your Skittles, though. Some goodbeast should find him sooner or later. Don't you jolly well fret, folks./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE succeed in filching the bowl of crumble from his rabblemate, placing his empty bowl in the hedgehog's paws and digging into the fresh one. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, long as 'e don't get consecuted by vermins, wifflin' liddle nuisance. Oh, did I tell ye, one o' the reasons I wanted to come up this way was to enter the contest. Hah, I 'spect that's why yore wanderin' this neck o' country, too, eh?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT puts aside his bowl. It's grabbed by a rabblehog who begins licking the inside of it thoroughly. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Contest, what contest, baron? First I've heard of it./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE cuffs the sleeping hedgehog alongside him into wakefulness. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Wot, eh, wossamarrer?" the rabblehog spluttered. "Oi, somebeast's etted me pudden!" The baron cuffed him another few buffets. "It's etten, not etted, swillbrain! Never mind that. Gimme that contest thing you found."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"COGGS searches his spikes, ruminating aloud,/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanCOGGS/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Where'd I putten it? Sorry—putted it. Aha, 'ere 'tis!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"An extremely grimy birchbark strip is thrust into FLEETSCUT's paw. He opens it gingerly. Wiping off remnants of bygone meals and a few unidentified smears./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 2;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Reading outloud) br / Come mother, father, daughter, son, br / My challenge stands to anybeast! br / I'll take on all, or just the one, br / Whether at the fight or feast! br / Aye, try to beat me an' defeat me, br / Set 'em up, I'll knock 'em down! br / Just try to outbrag me, you'll see, br / King Bucko Bigbones wears the crown!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING raises her eyebrows at FLEETSTCUT. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Methinks Bigbones has a fine opinion of himself, an' that's the hare thou art going up against. Well, good luck to thee. Yon fellow must have the might to back up his challenge./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"MIRKLEWORT pokes a grimy paw at FLEETSCUT. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Hah, so y'are goin' to take up the challenge, eh! Don't yer think yore a bit long in tooth an' seasons?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT pats the top of his grey head and then his chest./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Marm, there may be winter on the mountain, but there's spring at its heart. I must accept the challenge if I'm to raise an army to take Salamandastron, for we need this Buckowotsit and his followers on our side. So I'll search old Bigchops out an' throw down the bally gauntlet, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE raises his dripping spikes from the pudding bowl./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, me, too. I'll take a wiffle at it!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Objecting) But you can't, sah. You're a blinkin' baron of hogs. How can y'be a king of hares, wot?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE shrugs and collars another bowlful from a smaller rabblehog. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Huh, 'ares or 'ogs, all the same t'me. I knows 'ow t'be boss an' put me paw down firm. 'Ard but fair, that's me!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE emphasizes the point by draining the tankard belonging to the hedgehog on his left, rubbing his stomach and belching aloud. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE (CONT'D)/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ah, that's betterer! Wot d'yer say we join forces an' seek this King Bucko out together, eh? We ain't got a clue where t'find 'im. Wot about you, cully?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Without consulting JUKKA THE SLING, FLEETSCUT draws out the poem he was carrying. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 3;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Right y'are, baron, we'll go together. Safety in numbers, wot. Listen t'these directions. br / 'Discover then a streamwolf's ford, br / tug thrice upon the royal cord, br / then my honor guard will bring, br / loyal subjects to their king!' Does that make any sense to you, old chap?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE scratches his stubby headspikes reflectively. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanBARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Aye, it's poetry, ain't it? All those funny words put t'gether like a song, but y'speak 'em, 'stead o' singin'. That's the answer, it's poetry!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"BARON DRUCCO SPIKEDIGGLE sits back, looking quite pleased with himself, until his wiry little wife gave him a shove, which sent him sprawling on his backspikes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Snorting) Pay no 'eed t'that nincompoke. A stone's got more brains than 'im. I think I might know where 'tis. 'Round 'ere they calls all the pikefishes streamwolf. Two of our scouts found a place coupla days back. A shallow crossin' just afore the stream breaks inter the river. That's a ford, ain't it?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING picks up her short spear. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Canst thou take us there, hogwife?/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Ignoring her husband's struggles to get up off his back, MIRKLEWORT bawls at the rabblehogs./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanMIRKLEWORT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Belaaaay! Break camp, 'ogs. Barleyburr, Shunko, take us t'that place you scouted out, if'n yer can unmember where it was. Stir yer spikes or we'll leave yer behind, Drucco!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"EXT. EASTERN MOSSFLOWER FRINGES - DAY/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"The combined forces cut into a winding path, which takes them into what seems like a dim maze of thick ancient trees. Apart from the odd sunshaft breaking through the foliage, it's silent, still and clothed in a soft green radiance. JUKKA THE SLING and FLEETSCUT march together at the rear. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"(Highly displeased) 'Twould have been fitting had thou asked me about joining my tribe up with these spiked, ill-mannered vagabonds. Rabble they be named and rabble they are—I like them not. An' who gave thee authority to decide whither we go, eh? Thou art no better than them, longears, treating us in such fashion, after we came all this way with thee!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT's dislike of JUKKA THE SLING still persists and he's ready for an argument./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Well pish tush, me old bushtail, y'know what we always say at Salamandastron? If you don't like it, then y'can jolly well lump it. So there! Come all this way with me, indeed! I never asked you to, marm. You an' your squirrels can go sling your hooks, wot! Aye, go on, back t'your safe little pine grove. Though it'll probably be swarmin' with all kinds o' bottle-nosed blue-bottomed vermin by now. Huh, I could say I wish you good luck, but I blinkin' well don't!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"JUKKA THE SLING bares her teeth viciously. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanJUKKA THE SLING/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"I don't need thy good-luck wishes, old 'un. Ye branded me coward—I'll show ye I'm not, nor my warriors. We're with thee to the last step o' this journey, end where it may!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FLEETSCUT curls his lip in contempt. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"span style="mso-tab-count: 4;" /spanFLEETSCUT/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"Oh aye, you're with me all the way. For vengeance, no! For honor, hah, what would you know about honor? Jukka the famous Sling. Tchah! To see what weapons an' plunder y'can get your paws on, that's why you're with me, lady. An' you call these hedgehogs ill-mannered vagabonds? Let me tell you, treewalloper, you're no better'n them. Matter o' fact, they're more honest about it than you, wot!/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"They glare and snort at one another, and the two continue without further words./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;" align="right"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"FADE OUT:/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"THE END/span/p 


End file.
